“I could not believe Joseph Muscat’s reply during the leaders’ debate when asked if closing down the shipyards was a good idea. Muscat is stuck in the old socialists’ mentality of the past. The government used to pay over €35 million a year in subsidies in order to keep the shipyards afloat, Minister for fair competition and consumer Jason Azzopardi said.

Dr Muscat had said that it had been a wrong decision to close down the drydocks.

Speaking at a press conference held this afternoon, Dr Azzopardi expressed incredulity at the fact that the Labour party is more concerned with offering subsidies than creating jobs.

“Spain’s PM José Zapatero used to be Joseph Muscat’s shining beacon of good governance. Now look at Spain, almost 50% of their youth are unemployed. In Malta, young people are ranked in first place when it comes to finding a job after graduation,” Dr Azzopardi explained.

Dr Azzopardi said that prime minister Gonzi had managed to weather the toughest global economic storm faced by any government over the past 90 years.

“We were faced with the same challenges as Cyprus, Greece and Spain. Yet we managed to save 5,000 jobs in the ensuing crisis as well as create 20,000 new jobs. Hindsight is always 20-20 and mistakes were made, but it is foresight that truly counts when in government,” Dr Azzopardi emphasised.

Dr Azzopardi drew contrast to Malta’s own economic situation, where the highest tax band is set to fall from 35% to 25% over three years. He said that no other country in Europe has tax reductions in the pipeline